July 9, 2023 (Song #2017):  “A Alligators All Around” by Maurice Sendak & Carole King from Really Rosie.  APPLE MUSIC SPOTIFY LYRICS (I could post any song by Carole King, especially any song from Tapestry, but the harmonies on today’s SOTD just knocked me over when I first heard it and it illustrates, perfectly, why I love kids and teaching them. The whole soundtrack is musically fabulous and fun, even though Maurice Sendak’s script is predictably bratty and dark.)

T-25* brings me to 1998, the year I realized I wanted to be a music teacher; little sparks had been subtly brightening my life for years, but in 1998, the flame was fully lit.  I’ve already written about how much I love kids, but I haven’t yet mentioned that, during vacations from school and work, I’d been visiting Barbara Bayers’ music classes at Helen Keller middle school in Easton and Jackie Weisburger at the pre-school where she worked. Jackie also got me a summer job teaching music at the Mead School where we did the play “Really Rosie” and she told me a million times over that I should be teaching kids.  My friend Lisa Schatz Strausser also used to say it every time she watched me play with her own kids: “You should work with kids.”

In business school, when we were assigned the task to read any management book (our choice), most people chose books like: “One-Minute Manager” or “Getting To Yes”, but I chose Tracy Kidder’s Among Schoolchildren and argued that teachers have the most complicated management job around with many constituents (the professor, Mary Ann Hedaa, agreed and we got on like wildfire; she ended up hiring me and my friend Brian Schreiber to be her TAs the next semester).  Even then I didn’t consciously consider being a teacher. Clueless.

The actual tipping point for me was the annual Carol Sing at the Bacharach’s house in December of 1997 (for a beautiful essay about the annual party written by fellow guest Dan Woog, click here: https://06880danwoog.com/tag/12-days-of-christmas/ )

In December of 1997, Rose was 2 ½ and Bennett was 8 months old. After Bennett was born (in April) I left the Mark Spector Company and was now helping my dad, who had started teaching at Columbia Business School after I graduated (I’d introduced him to my Entrepreneurship professor, Murray Low, during the last week of school in May of 1992 and they hit it off; my dad became an adjunct professor at Columbia for the next seven years.  I used to joke that I got an MBA, but he got a job.).  

At the Caroling Party, I saw my former Staples High School teachers: Mr. Leonard, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Woodruff and Mr. Kuroghlian. After fan-girling them with hellos and hugs all around, they said: “Tell us what you’re up to!” 

“Well,” I said, “I’m thinking of buying a franchise called “Music Together” so that I can use my MBA, run my own business and sing and make music and work with kids!” I thought it was a genius idea! 

That got them going: suddenly, they were all talking at once: “If you want to work with kids, become a public school teacher.” said Gerry Kuroghlian. (I’d always thought that was a horrible idea because, with all due respect, I’d believed “Those who can do, do, and those who can’t do teach”. I’m embarrassed now.)  

“If it snows, you’re going to be the one shoveling the walkway and canceling classes and then you’re going to have to figure out a time to make them up”, said Dick Leonard. 

Dave Harrison chimed in: “If you’re a public school teacher, you’ll get to make music with kids, but you’ll get summers off and someone else will clear the sidewalks in the winter.” 

Then, Gerry Kuroghlian, again: “Think about the insurance! What if someone trips on that icy sidewalk??” 

Phil Woodruff finally said: “You need to check out this program run by the State Department of Education.  It’s called the Alternate Route to Certification (ARC).  My son did it and it was the greatest thing.” 

“But I don’t know anything about teaching?!” I said, truly confused by their idea.  

“They’ll help you learn!” said Dr. Woodruff.  

Dave Harrison said: “You should put your name on the sub list in Westport and you’ll find out if you like being in a classroom.”

Dr. Woodruff ended the conversation by saying: “Promise me you’ll check out the ARC program; the application is due very soon.”  I left that party in a complete tizzy. 

I am a rule follower and a pleaser, so I checked out the ARC program and put my name on the sub list. Indeed, I only had about a week to pull together my application and references; I called Dr. George Weigle (choral conductor extraordinaire) and asked him for a reference. He said “yes”, but then spotted me walking in the snow at the beach a few days later and said: “Hey, do you play piano?” “YES!” I said. “OK” and he drove off.

A few weeks later, I got a call from the Westport Public Schools asking me to sub for the music teacher at Long Lots, Anne (then) Ward (now) Hadden. The lesson plans required that I give a few worksheets to the students, but it seemed fun enough (my neighbor, Tommy D’Agostino was in 3rd grade at the time and we were psyched to see each other).   

Then, I got another call on March 23rd asking me to come into Coleytown Elementary School because they were desperate for a substitute music teacher for the remainder of the year (the full-time teacher went into early labor and they weren’t prepared for that). 

I went in to meet the principal Kaye May and, as I shook her hand, I said: “My friend Mindy Eichner has told me a lot about you and she thinks you’re fabulous”.  She stopped what she was doing, looked me in the eye and said: “Mindy Eichner? You’re friends with Mindy Eichner? You’re hired!”  Then she called Jim Andrews, the beloved orchestra teacher, into her office; he looked me up and down and said: “she’ll do.” and walked out (they weren’t being picky; all they wanted was a person with a pulse).   

Peter was 100% supportive, as always, and then I called my dad, who was on a trip to Russia with students from CBS and, of course, he was also totally and utterly supportive.  I, however, was sobbing like a baby and riddled with self-doubt, all for a very good reason: I had no idea what I was doing. 

As many of you know, it has all worked out, and then some. I have so, so, so many memories of teaching – happy, sad, good, bad – from kids, to colleagues, to parents, to birds flying in to my classroom in the middle of a lesson – but I’ve gone on too long already.  

Let me just say: THANK YOU to the powers-that-be for leading me in this direction.  I couldn’t have taken the leap without the cushion of support from family & friends that surrounds me every day.

P.S. Starting tomorrow, with T-24, I have summer plans that will preclude me from posting a full reminiscence every day, so, here on in, the posts are going to be short and sweet but will still highlight songs that give me brain joy.  Because I have way more than 60 songs that make me happy, some days I will post two or three.  Just keep singing!